Harry Styles has respectfully declined to play the role of ‘Prince Eric’ in the remake of Disney’s ‘The Little Mermaid’ which has already been filled with much controversy.
When news broke mid-July that the former One Direction member may be playing the role of Prince Eric in The Little Mermaid alongside Halle Bailey, fans were excited and immediately got on board with Disney’s choice. However, reports say that the pop star who made his acting career debut in 2017 has rejected the offer and will not be playing the role of the blue-eyed chiselled prince after all.
According to Variety, the initial reports about his casting were premature and Harry Styles made the decision to move on amicably. The publication also added that the studio has already begun looking at other options for the part and a decision is expected to be reached shortly.
Halle Bailey, despite all the controversial #NotMyAriel publicity that attempted to mar her confirmation for the role, will be playing the main character, Ariel (a mermaid that dreams of being a human). She is joined by Melissa McCarthy who plays the role of Ariel’s evil aunt, Ursula who takes her voice to give her legs.
The Little mermaid, which first debuted about 30 years ago as an animation, was a hit back in the day and the remake, written by David Magee, will be directed by Rob Marshall. The producers have also confirmed that the original songs from the original movie will be incorporated into this remake. However, there will also be new tunes for the remake from original composer Alan Menken, with lyrics written by Lin-Manuel Miranda. The new songs will include songs for Prince Eric who did not have any songs in the initial movie.